Our brains are hardwired for connection and stories. This podcast is all about amplifying both. Now more than ever our stories matter. Each week The Your Story Matters Podcast will feature a new guest sharing their "why" and stories. On this episode of The Your Story Matters Podcast I am privileged to have a conversation with Sri Narayanan. Sri is the founder of Kodely, the co-founder and CEO of Nala AI, the host of the Education Unlocked Podcast, and was one of Forbes 30 under 30.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snarayanan27/

https://www.kodely.io/

Our brains are hardwired for connection and stories. This podcast is all about amplifying both. Now more than ever our stories matter. On this episode of The Your Story Matters Podcast I have a conversation with Dr. Shana Matamala and Dr. Martin Yousef. Dr. Shana Matamala serves as the Chair of the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program and Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the LaFetra College of Education, University of La Verne. With 30 years of experience spanning P–12 education and higher education leadership, she brings a practitioner-informed perspective to doctoral studies. Her research focuses on inclusive leadership, fieldwork design, women leadership, and program development. Dr. Matamala is committed to preparing future leaders to navigate complex educational systems with innovation and purpose. Dr. Martin Yousef is the Associate Dean at the University of La Verne’s LaFetra College of Education. With more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, Dr. Yousef brings a unique blend of academic, operational, and human resources expertise to his work. His career spans key roles including professor, academic administrator, chief operating officer, and HR leader, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of how institutions function and thrive. Dr. Yousef has led major initiatives in academic operations, curriculum innovation, and program development, with a focus on designing high-quality, student-centered learning experiences across modalities. He is deeply committed to building and sustaining strategic partnerships, particularly with community colleges, K–12 districts, and regional organizations, to expand pathways, strengthen leadership pipelines, and advance educational equity. His research interests include online learning, generational preferences in education delivery, leadership styles, change management, and the role of HR in talent development and retention. I am so excited for you to get to know and learn from Dr. Shana Matamala and Dr. Martin Yousef today!

Dr. Shana Matamala

Dr. Martin Yousef

University of La Verne Ed.D. in Educational Leadership Program

On this episode of the Your Story Matters Podcast I have a conversation with Superintendent Maria Libby from Maine. Superintendent Libby is the superintendent of not one but two districts: Camden Rockport Schools (PreK-8) and Five Town CSD (9th-12th). She is an author of a non-fiction educational leadership book entitled An Impossible Assignment and a children’s book called Waiting for Walter, as well as the podcast host of Super Story: Inside Education. She has served as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and before her education career was a solo boat driver and served as the Narragansett Baykeeper. I am so excited for you to get to know and learn from Superintendent Maria Libby today!

LinkedIn: Superintendent Maria Libby

Super Story: Inside Education Podcast

Website: Maria Libby

Our brains are hardwired for connection and stories. This podcast is all about amplifying both. Now more than ever our stories matter. Each week The Your Story Matters Podcast will feature a new guest sharing their "why" and stories. On this episode of The Your Story Matters Podcast I am privileged to have a conversation with Dr. David Calvo. Dr. Calvo has served as an educator and leader for 30 years, including as a teacher in Florida and then principal both in Florida and California. He most recently served the Director of Development and before that the Director of Family and Community Engagement with the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE). He has served as a school board member and in elected positions in both Florida and California. I am so excited for you to get to know and learn from Dr. David Calvo today!

LI: Dr. David Calvo

On this episode of the Your Story Matters Podcast I have a conversation with not one but two incredible leaders, Cheryl Abla and Lisa Maxfield. Long time educators, Cheryl and Lisa co-wrote, Teachables: Bite-Size Strategies that Make Major Impact in the Classroom.

Cheryl Abla is a passionate and results-driven consultant dedicated to creating learning environments where both educators and students thrive. With expertise in student engagement, instructional best practices, and leadership support, she helps schools turn research into action.

Her work spans from coaching educators on effective teaching strategies to guiding administrators in using classroom walkthrough data to drive meaningful change. She specializes in making complex instructional concepts accessible, ensuring that every learner, especially multilingual students, feels valued, motivated, and successful.

Lisa Maxfield helps organizations implement tools and strategies that drive adoption, retention, and measurable success. With over ten years of experience leading complex SaaS rollouts, training initiatives, and cross-functional projects, she partners with leaders to turn challenges into outcomes.

Her approach is rooted in authentic relationships. she listens, asks thoughtful questions, and collaborates with clients to build clear success plans, anticipate needs, and provide proactive support. By strengthening trust through consistency and follow-through, she creates partnerships that drive engagement and long-term results.

I am excited for you all to get to know and learn from Lisa and Cheryl.

LI: Lisa Maxfield

LI: Cheryl Abla

Our brains are hardwired for connection and stories. This podcast is all about amplifying both. Now more than ever our stories matter. On this episode of The Your Story Matters Podcast I am privileged to have a conversation with Dr. Simone Charles. Dr. Simone Charles is a high school principal in Los Angeles and Option Schools Principal of the Year for ACSA Region 16. In 2025 she became the President of the Council of Equity Leaders at state ACSA. The lasting impact of a solid education is paramount to Charles. Continuing her life’s work to support diverse students, Charles focuses on racial and gender inequality within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Her goal is to expand the trajectory of females of color in STEM and enable them to pursue higher learning opportunities. Charles holds a B.A. in Communications, a M.A. in Bilingual Multicultural Education from California State University Dominguez Hills, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy (ELAP) at Pepperdine University. Charles was honored as one of Councilman Curren Price’s 2017 SHeros for her accomplishments working with minority students and she presided over the Council of Black Administrators (COBA) as president from 2016-2018. A committed educator for over 30 years, Charles’ achievements include serving as a Spanish language bilingual and primary language classroom teacher, mentor teacher, grade-level chair, and demonstration teacher and mentor principal. Now, as Principal of the Year and Administrator of the Year, Charles continues to exhibit her love of education and the endless possibilities it holds for students. I am so excited for you to get to learn about and from Dr. Simone Charles today!

LinkedIn: Dr. Simone Charles

Our brains are hardwired for connection and stories. This podcast is all about amplifying both. Now more than ever our stories matter. Each week The Your Story Matters Podcast will feature a new guest sharing their "why" and stories. On this episode of The Your Story Matters Podcast, I have a conversation with Allyson Apsey, who has been an educator for over 20 years; an award-winning school leader for the majority of those years. She is passionate about students and staff and leads others through their strengths. She tries to be transparent, vulnerable and supportive, and she doesn’t ask questions unless she wants the answers. After 19 years as a school, district and state leader, Allyson is the Director of Client Relations with Creative Leadership Solutions, where she works with districts and schools across the nation to improve performance at every level from the classroom to the boardroom with evidence, passion, and results. She also travels to spread her #SerendipityEDU message across the country.Allyson became a Certified Trauma Practitioner in Education.Allyson writes on a blog called Serendipity in Education and has authored several books–The Path to Serendipity, the picture book The Princes of Serendip, and Through the Lens of Serendipity: Helping Others Discover the Best in Themselves, a middle-grades chapter book called The Serendipity Journal, Lead with Collaboration: A Complete Guide for Transforming Staff Meetings with Jessica Gomez, Leading the Whole Teacher, What Makes a Great Principal with George Couros, she is a contributing author to Fearless Instruction, and her latest book is Less Talk, More Action: A Guide to Transforming Schools Through Action Research with Emily Freeland. She also loves speaking to passionate groups of educators as everyone works to be happy and effective people for the benefit of everyone. She is married to Jim and has two amazing sons with him, Laine and Tyson. She is blessed. I am so excited for you to get to know and learn from Allyson Apsey!

www.allysonapsey.com

LI: Allyson Apsey

IG: @allyosonapsey

X: @AllysonApsey

Our brains are hardwired for connection and stories. This podcast is all about amplifying both. Now more than ever our stories matter. On this episode I am privileged to have a conversation with THE Dave Burgess. Dave Burgess is the New York Times Best-Selling author of Teach Like a PIRATE, co-author of P is for PIRATE, and the president of Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. which delivers powerful, inspirational, and innovative books, keynotes, and professional development.He specializes in teaching hard-to-reach, hard-to-motivate students with techniques that incorporate showmanship and creativity. In a ceremony in Washington, D.C., he was awarded the BAMMY for Secondary School Teacher of the Year by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences. He was recently inducted into the Pirate Hall of Fame. Dave delivers the ultimate professional development experience for your teachers that is perfect for all circumstances from truly inspirational opening keynotes to full-day hands-on workshops. It is a high-energy, interactive, and entertaining experience that will leave your staff unbelievably inspired, motivated, and with the practical skills to dramatically increase student engagement. He has published close to 200 books by over 80 authors on DBC, inc. I am so excited for you to be inspired and empowered by Dave Burgess today!

Website: daveburgess.com

Podcast: The Dave Burgess Show

LinkedIn: Dave Burgess

IG: @dbc_inc

X: @burgessdave

FB: Dave Burgess

BlueSky: @burgessdave.bsky.social